Big plays lift No. 21 Cincinnati over Fordham, 49-17

Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux (4) passes under pressure from Fordham defensive tackle DeAndre Slate (99) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, in Cincinnati. Legaux threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns in the game won by Cincinnati 49-17. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

CINCINNATI, Ohio (AP) -- The defense got things going and the Munchie show did the rest for No. 21 Cincinnati.

Deven Drane scooted 76 yards for a touchdown after picking up a fumble and Munchie Legaux threw two TD passes, including a 78-yarder to Travis Kelce, to lead the Bearcats past Fordham 49-17 on Saturday night.

The Bearcats (5-0) stayed perfect but the Rams (4-3), playing up a level from the Football Championship Subdivision, hung around for a half. The win was Cincinnati's 24th straight in nonconference games at Nippert Stadium and upped its overall winning streak to eight in a row.

After a sloppy first two quarters, the Bearcats came alive on offense. Legaux, Ralph David Abernathy IV and Jordan Luallen scored on runs to start the third quarter and the rout was on.

Fordham was a late fill-in for TCU, which reneged on its commitment to join the Big East this summer and instead joined the Big 12. That left the Bearcats with a hole in their schedule that the Patriot League team filled.

Patrick Murray kicked three field goals, including a school-record 55-yarder for the Rams. Ryan Higgins completed 31 of 42 passes for 262 yards and one touchdown -- a 12-yarder to Brian Wetzel -- with no interceptions.

Legaux, who hit on 15 of 24 passes for 262 yards without an interception, raced eight yards for the score on the Bearcats' first possession to start the second half. After the defense forced a punt, Cincinnati came right back down the field. This time Abernathy took a handoff from Legaux, slashed inside left tackle and sped down the middle of the field on a 36-yard scoring run for a 28-6 lead. Danny Milligan's 42-yard punt return led to another quick score, with wide receiver Jordan Luallen taking the direct snap and skirting left end from 1 yard out to cap a five-play sprint to the end zone.

Milligan then caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Legaux to swell the lead to 42-14 early in the fourth quarter. Brendon Kay also scored on a 1-yard keeper.

It was the first meeting ever for two of the oldest programs in college football. Fordham started playing in 1881 and Cincinnati first took the field four years later.

In a weird start, the Rams ran off the first 22 offensive plays of the game -- and still trailed 7-3.

Taking the opening kickoff, they moved quickly to a first down at the Cincinnati 17. But Higgins was sacked by defensive end Dan Giordano and the ball popped loose. Drane picked it up almost in stride and raced untouched down the field for the touchdown.

Showing they weren't stunned by that turn of events, Fordham came right back and drove to a first down at the Bearcats 28 before the march ended, settling for a 46-yard field goal by Murray. Murray came in leading all of FCS with 2.0 field goals a game and was third in punting at 48 yards per kick.

Once they finally got their hands on the ball on offense, it took the Bearcats just three plays to score. After two George Winn runs, Legaux hit Kelce on a short crossing route and he raced past a linebacker and thundered down the left sideline for the 78-yard score and a 14-3 lead.

It stayed that way until Murray converted a school-record 55-yard field goal late in the half.

The Bearcats came in having outscored opponents 34-6 in first quarter and 61-14 in the opening half at home this year. This time they turned it on in the second half to pull away, going on a 21-0 blitz in the third quarter.

Cincinnati mustered just four first downs in the opening half. The Bearcats had 146 yards on 22 plays, but that meant 68 yards on their remaining 21 snaps.

Meanwhile Higgins hit on 20 of 27 passes for 155 yards, most to Koonce out of the backfield or on short out-cuts or curls to his receivers.

Staying close to an FBS team -- let alone a ranked one -- was rarified air for the Rams. The last time they had beaten a team from college football's biggest division was a win at Rutgers in 1954. After that season, Fordham dropped football and didn't reinstate it until coming back in Division III in 1989.

Cincinnati improved to 23-9-1 as a ranked team. The Bearcats joined the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in the 2012 season this week.